A Journey in Her Shoes
by Barbiegurl676
Summary: After a very rough summer, Hermoine returns for her seventh year depressed, lonely and lost. Can anyone find out in time, and save her before it's too late? Ron, Harry... maybe even Draco? Contains eating disorders/abuse/angst/pos. self-h. Slightly OOC
1. Reunited

**Disclaimer... I own absolutely nothing that looks even a bit familiar...And warning... this is my first attempt at fanfiction... please keep flames to a minimum... I'm flammable! Also - story started before the sixth book released. In this story, Voldemort was defeated after their sixth year, with the main characters returning to actually enjoy their seventh and final year at Hogwarts in peace. Or, at least, without the threat of an impending war. Characters might seem slightly OOC, but I've tried to write them as close to the original characters as possible, with the only difference being they can finally relax a little bit and focus on themselves, and not on fighting a war.**

**Also, for those that have read this in the past, I am planning to add more, but first I want to fix the typos and grammatical errors before I carry on. You can either start from the beginning, again, or carry on where you left off. I don't plan on changing much in the first six chapters, at least not enough that will impact too much of the final outcome.**

"Watch it!" An irritated voice yelled as the brunette came barreling down the aisle, running into anything in her way. Only stopping to throw the weasel a quick glare, she pushed on, only to run smack into the person she was so desperately seeking out.

"Oy!" Squealed Ron, startled and surprised to be met by such a tight hug from such a tiny girl. "Let me take a look," he said, as he extended Hermione out to arm's length and spun her around, taking her all in. He whispered quietly, "Wow. Hermione, you look…"

"Look what?" She asked, silently pleading for him to tell her what she wanted to hear. She looked deep into his piercing blue eyes, begging him to tell her she was beautiful, amazing, and that he couldn't live without her. He didn't.

"Uh, nothing," He stammered, silently noting how beautiful she had become. This break was the first time he didn't get to spend any time with her at the Burrow, and over the two months she had changed dramatically. Her bushy locks had calmed down into shiny spiral curls and her face was as smooth as porcelain but displayed an obviously beached tan. She smiled slightly at him, and he began to feel unfamiliar warmth on his cheeks. He turned away and told her that Harry was on his way to their usual compartment, although he was being held up by Ginny.

"Ginny?" She questioned. "Are you serious? It's about time!"

Everyone knew that Harry had a thing for Ginny, although it took him long enough to finally admit it to himself, and everyone else, that he did. During the summer, Harry stayed with Ron at the Burrow and became closer to Ginny in the process, Ron explained, "It was a bit odd at first, having to knock on doors in my own house. The one time I didn't I was in for a nasty surprise."

"They didn't!" Hermione exclaimed. "I can't believe that Harry and Ginny…"

Before she could finish, Ron continued, "No, no. They were just snogging a bit, but c'mon. She's my little sister and he's… he's my best friend!" He let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh well, it could be worse. At least we know Harry has a good head on his shoulders and a future ahead of him. I can't necessarily say the same about some of the other boys she became friendly with last year."

Hermione nodded her head in agreement and followed Ron to their compartment. After a few minutes, they felt the train start to move and they became excited once again, realizing this would be their last trip to Hogwarts. An odd, yet comfortable silence fell between them as they rode in peace, until the door to the compartment slide open and a handsome young fellow sauntered in.

"Harry!" Hermione squealed before jumping up and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Hermione, I've missed you too, but get off! You're starting to choke me!" Harry exclaimed. Hermione loosened her grip and gave a weak smile.

"Sorry Harry, guess I was just a bit excited. You know, I haven't seen you all summer and you look mighty fine. I might just become a bit jealous of Miss Weasley." She gave him one more look over. The summer had done him very good. His skin was a deep shade of olive, dedicated to months of almost non-stop quidditch practice. He had grown even taller, almost reaching Ron's height, and his build was lean and muscular. She admitted that he did look very nice. "Speaking of Miss Weasley, where is she?" Even though the first few years at Hogwarts Ginny had been little more than just the little sister, she and Hermione had grown close over the past few years - she was the closest she had to a girl friend and she missed her dearly.

"She's with a bunch of the other sixth years. They're getting reacquainted and settled into their compartments for the trip back to Hogwarts. She missed you a lot this summer, did ya know?" Harry responded.

"I missed her too," Hermione said.

"Well I missed both of you, too," said Ron, who had made himself more obvious, trying to get in on the sentimental moment, and gave Harry and Hermione another big hug.

"Ron, you goof, I spent the whole summer with you!" Harry exclaimed.

"I realize that mate, but it wasn't this Weasley that you spent most of your time with," teased Ron.

"Hey now!" Harry shouted playfully. Harry looked up at Hermione again, and decided that she looked amazing. 'Ron would be crazy not to finally go for her this year,' he thought. Everyone, except Hermione, knew that Ron had had feelings for her since second year, although he refused to admit it. _As smart as she is, she tends to miss the obvious social facts staring her straight in the face, _he noted. As he gave her one last once over, he noticed the shiny badge attached to her vest. "What is that, Hermione?" He asked.

She was a bit confused, "What is what, Harry?" She looked down to what he was pointing to. "Oh, the badge. Oh yeah! In all the excitement, I forgot to tell you. I'm Head Girl!" With that statement came another round of hugs and congratulations.

"Who's the Head Boy?" Ron asked, hoping that she wouldn't say that slimy git, Malfoy.

"You know what, Ron? I was too excited by the news that I didn't even think to ask. I have a meeting in ten minutes, I'll tell you upon our arrival at Hogwarts. As long as it isn't Malfoy, there won't be a problem this year. Just think, if I had to actually live with that git, I don't know if I could do it!" She exclaimed. She knew that while she was looking forward to getting away from everything going on back at home, if she was stuck with Malfoy all year, she might as well have just stayed home.

"He really isn't that bad," drawled a silky voice from the front door to the compartment. The trio looked up to see none other than the blonde himself, surrounded by his mute flunkies, leaning casually on the door frame.

"What do you want?" She demanded, in a tone almost as icy as her stare.

"Just letting you know that we have a meeting soon in compartment three," replied Malfoy in a nonchalant tone. He began to turn as Hermione responded.

"Never ever would I go to any compartment with you!" Hermione stated, getting a bit riled up.

"Oh, really?" Asked Malfoy, looking slyly at her, almost daring her to respond, "I guess I'll just have to tell Dumbledore that you revoke your Head Girl status."

"Wait!" Hermione cried, grabbing his arm and whipping him around, "Are you saying that you are the new Head Boy?"

"Did you actually think that I _wanted _to spend more than a second with you in the same compartment? Who are you kidding?" Draco laughed, although he did admit that the older Gryffindor girl had changed quite a bit over the summer. There was something different, something alluring yet silently tragic beneath her eyes._ What am I thinking? She's…. a muggle-born. So ugly, so unpure… so __**perfect.**_

Hermione noticed his stares for just a split second and let out a groan. _This is going to be a long, long year. S_haking her head, she followed the git to the third compartment.


	2. Train Ride With The Ferret

**Disclaimer: **I own NOTHING. Except myself… but everything else is not mine

**Author's Note:** Again, this is an update/edit from the original chapter. Shouldn't be too much changed if you want to skip to the new chapter. Make sure you R/R!

**Previously - **

"Did you actually think that I _wanted _to spend more than a second with you in the same compartment? Who are you kidding!" Draco laughed, although he did admit that the older Gryfindor girl had changed quite a bit over the summer. There was something different, something alluring yet silently tragic beneath her eyes._ What am I thinking? She's…. a muggle-born. So ugly, so unpure… so __**perfect.**_

Hermione noticed his stares for just a split second and let out a groan. _This is going to be a long, long year. S_haking her head, she followed the git to the third compartment.

…

When they got near the front of the train, Hermione noticed a door that was slightly larger than the rest, and instead of the usual mahogany colored wood, it was the darkest shade of black she had ever seen. _This must be compartment three,_ she thought to herself. _Wonder what's inside?_ She didn't have to wait long to find out, because Malfoy pushed by her and knocked loudly on the door, receiving a stern look from Hermione before it slid open with a gentle rumble.

Hermione felt like pinching herself when she entered the compartment. She had to walk back out and in again, twice. Somehow, the room nearly tripled in size when she entered the room, and was adorned with various pieces of leather furniture. Smacking herself, she realized the room must be charmed, and she immediately began to enjoy one of the new perks of being Head Girl. _And to think that I almost gave this up because of a stupid ferret_, she scolded herself.

"This is nothing," Draco arrogantly piped up, noting her excitement and fascination of the charmed room. "My room's easily three times the size. This is tiny compared to what I have." He leaned closer to Hermione, giving her another once-over. "Maybe if I bring you back to the manor sometime, you'd be able to fully enjoy the magnificence the Malfoy household brings," he added with a wink and sly grin.

Hermione scoffed and pushed away from him, "Please, don't give me that. Seriously Malfoy, this is my final year at Hogwarts and I don't want it to be ruined by you. I almost don't want to accept this position just because it means that I have to spend even _more_ of my valuable time with you. If you so much as look at me in the wrong way this year, so help me Merlin, you won't have any _magnificence_ left to enjoy. Where is Professor Dumbledore, anyways? Only a ferret like you would actually believe that we were meeting him _before_ we got to Hogwarts. Seriously, I can't believe they made you Head Boy. This is absolutely ridiculous! How in the world am I supposed to work with you for the next year? I should just quit now and get it over with!" As she was talking she got even more riled up, all the anger from the summer, and the past six years, coming to a boiling point. Her cheeks flushed a dark crimson as all the angry blood rushed to the surface.

"Oh yeah?" asked Draco, giving her an icy look that matched hers almost perfectly.

"Yeah, just try me. I'll do it," she threatened, pulling out her wand. Not to be caught unarmed in a duel with the feisty brunette, Malfoy quickly grabbed his wand and took a defensive stance. A minute passed, neither moving and both Heads were glaring at each other, daring the other to move.

During their argument, both failed to notice the illuminated fireplace, embers burning rampantly. "Ahem," coughed a voice out of nowhere. Both Hermione and Draco looked around, a bit frightened by the idea that they were not alone. They slowly patrolled the room, trying to locate the source of the noise.

"Did you hear anything?" Draco asked, turning to Hermione. They stared at each other, eyes slightly widened, yet neither was willing to admit they were shaken.

"No. And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you anyways!" Hermione responded. The sudden noise had caught her off guard during her verbal battle with Malfoy, and caused her heart to race faster than it had in a while. The sudden burst of adrenaline made her feel shaky, unsettled, and she chose to sit on one of the recliners so she wouldn't black out in front of Malfoy. _Oh he would just love it if Miss Perfect suddenly collapsed. He would hold it over my head for the entire year_.

Because Hermione was too invested in her own thoughts, she didn't notice Malfoy staring at her, eyeing her carefully. _Something just doesn't feel right, _he thought to himself. He noted her unsteady balance, the way she carefully cupped the handle of the recliner as she slowly and shakily lowered herself onto it. Draco tried to avert his gaze, ignore her silent struggles that he immediately recognized as a slight panic attack. Part of him wanted to completely ignore her struggle – he was a pureblood after all, and it would be beneath him to help a mere mudblood. Another part of him desperately wanted to run over and help her, walk her through her panic, because he recognized part of himself in her. Deep down he knew he should forget about bloodlines, especially since the war had ended, and he was about to approach her when he realized that would probably only make things worse. _I've been her mortal enemy for years – why would she trust me to help her, now? Why do I want to help her so bad? _He shuddered, realizing that war or no war, he was sorted into Slytherin for a reason. Even if he wanted to put the past behind them, it would be nearly impossible. Slytherin and Gryffindor go together like oil and water.

She was still struggling, unsuccessfully, to slow her pulse and calm her shaken nerves when she heard the noise again.

"That is exactly the reason I chose both of you to be the Heads this year," stated a voice arising from the fireplace. Hermione whipped around, startled, and Draco slowly turned towards the voice. "There has been enough animosity running throughout Hogwarts for the past few decades. With the complete destruction of the 'Dark Lord', there has been a call for the change of the makeup of Hogwarts. All the houses will stay the same, save Slytherin, who will hopefully begin to show a more optimistic and friendly about everything. I was hoping that by making you two the Head Boy and Girl, it'd help ease the transition and promote more… togetherness between the houses. You two are very smart, yes, very smart indeed, but you need to learn that it isn't always book smarts that will get you places. You both have such amazing characteristics; together you would be an unstoppable force, but first, you must learn to get along. I was hoping that this arrangement would work out; it's been awhile since we've paired sworn enemies together, but after witnessing that heated argument, I'm not sure this will work."

"Oh no, Professor," Hermione butted in, quickly apologizing, "there's really nothing to worry about. I let my emotions get the best of me. It won't happen again. I'm really very sorry."

"No need to apologize, Miss Granger. Emotions are a wonderful thing. You just need to learn when to channel them and when to express them to their fullest. And Mr. Malfoy, that goes for you, too. You two, Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy, have quite a bit in common – more so than you would ever know. If only you gave each other a chance…" With that, Dumbledore's head gave a quick wink and disappeared with a poof, leaving Hermione and Draco to just sit there in an awkward silence.

Suddenly, Draco turned to stand up and walked over to the leather recliner where Hermione was sitting. He was still confused on how he felt of the whole situation, being paired with the feisty girl, so he didn't know whether to be playful or the same as always. The icy glare she gave him told him to lean towards the latter, although he wasn't too sure of this choice. He leaned slowly down to her ear and whispered softly into it, "Dumbledore might have a point, but don't get too excited. I know you want all of _this_, but trust me, it's never going to be yours. _Mudblood_."

Blood rushed to Hermione's face as she tried to ignore what he had just said. Her anger didn't dissipate as quickly as she hoped, and she snapped, "Never _**ever**_ call me that name again. My name is _Hermione_, get it right or deal with the consequences. And don't worry about me coming on to you; not in a million years would I end up with a slimy git like you." She spoke completely through gritted teeth and kept her fists clenched in anger; preferably there instead of on a certain platinum blonde's neck.

Draco just scoffed in response, mentally noting that she was not one to be crossed with this year, and started to take off for his compartment full of flunkies and promiscuous women. He felt slightly bad for hurting her, but while Dumbledore had been speaking he decided it would be probably be easier to be enemies than admit his new feelings towards the girl. He knew Dumbledore was right – he could see they had similar personalities and vices, but although he was interested in finding out her secret, he knew he had to keep her at a distance from him. _Never let anyone get close. That way, I never can get hurt. _Before passing through the threshold of the compartment, he turned his head and examined the girl one last time. _She looks so sad._

Hermione wanted to go find her friends, but was still a bit in awe at the benefits that being Head allowed. She had never been in a room that big on the train before. She knew there would be lots questions and catching up later, and since she had just calmed down from her earlier attack, she just wanted a little peace and quiet. It was the first time since the beginning of the summer that she didn't have to worry constantly or sneak glances over her shoulder. She was also very tired – the mixture of a lack of sleep and the warmth from the room enveloped her body and created a cocoon of comfort she wasn't ready to break just yet. She became comfortable in the recliner and opted to stay there for the rest of the journey. Gracefully, she pulled a black leather notebook, opened up to a new page and began to write.

_This summer is thankfully over. It's been so hard to deal with my father and his newest fling. I know Harry has rough summers with his family, we all know that, but what would they say if they knew what I had to deal with, too. I just hope the charms don't fall before I get to my room tonight. None of them can ever see the bruises and pain written across my body. No, no one can ever find out, but sometimes it's so hard to keep everything inside of myself. I just want to scream it out, run away or even ask for help. But no, for now, I'll just let myself revel in the fact that it is my final year at Hogwarts before I become a full-fledged adult witch. I should try to enjoy it._

With that, Hermione slowly dropped the notebook to the floor and fell into a fitful sleep, one not eased by her extreme exhaustion or the warm recliner. After a few minutes, her small body began to twitch and shake and she woke with a start, screaming and panting. She had been having nightmares for the entire summer, but she had hoped that they would end when she left what was causing the nightmares. She silently sobbed for a few minutes before feeling the train slow down and she ran to get her robes on, bidding adieu to the compartment before searching for her friends outside the train. Her search was unsuccessful, so she went to find an empty carriage.

Every carriage was full except the one at the end of the row. She stepped up and settled herself in for her final ride up to Hogwarts. Suddenly, she realized how many lasts were going to occur this year and began to feel even more depressed. The mood wasn't lightened when a figure entered the carriage, assuming he was the only one in there.

"Get out," spat Hermione, shooting the individual an frosty glare.

"Absolutely not, this is the last carriage that has any room and you're not all Miss High and Mighty, you _must_ share this carriage," responded Draco. Hermione just sighed, lowered farther into her seat and tried to somewhat enjoy her trip up to Hogwarts.

Meanwhile, Malfoy used the time to further examine the girl. She looked like she had calmed down since the scare in compartment three. He also noted she looked really good this year – her hair draped gracefully around her shoulders and her body had the perfect amount of curves on it. If he didn't know better, he would assume that she was the happiest she could ever be. Her friend defeated Voldemort, the wizarding world was becoming safer for everyone, and she was the Head Girl – something he knew she had desperately craved since the second day of school. It wasn't until he really looked at her eyes, full of uncried tears and heartache, lids heavy and a faint outline of bags under them that he remembered – _looks can be deceiving._


	3. Great Hall And A Truce

**Disclaimer: **I own NOTHING. Except myself… but I own nothing else

**A/N:** This is another chapter that I have updated/edited. So far I've added over 1000 words to the first two chapters. Like I've said before, you are more than welcome to skip to the newest chapter, but I'm starting to think you might miss a bunch because I've added more to the story than I originally thought I would.

If you're wondering what's been changed – the entire compartment scene was re-written. I'm going more in-depth into Malfoy's head sooner than I was, and I was also bringing out some of Hermione's problems sooner, too.

I just want to say thank you to those that are reading this again, and those that are reading it for the first time. I promise to finally work on this story – I've got no job, no school, no kids – and I finally just found my information to log back on and update the story. Please review!

**Previously:** "Get out," spat Hermione, shooting the individual an frosty glare.

"Absolutely not, this is the last carriage that has any room and you're not all Miss High and Mighty, you _must_ share this carriage," responded Draco. Hermione just sighed, lowered farther into her seat and tried to somewhat enjoy her trip up to Hogwarts.

Meanwhile, Malfoy used the time to further examine the girl. She looked like she had calmed down since the scare in compartment three. He also noted she looked really good this year – her hair draped gracefully around her shoulders and her body had the perfect amount of curves on it. If he didn't know better, he would assume that she was the happiest she could ever be. Her friend defeated Voldemort, the wizarding world was becoming safer for everyone, and she was the Head Girl – something he knew she had desperately craved since the second day of school. It wasn't until he really looked at her eyes, full of uncried tears and heartache, lids heavy and a faint outline of bags under them that he remembered – _looks can be deceiving._

…

Upon arriving to Hogwarts, the very nervous first years were whisked into the main area while the rest of the students gathered in the Great Hall. One by one, the first years walked in, shy and awkward, unknowing of what they were about to endure. Hermione giggled and turned towards Harry and Ron.

"Remember when that was us, how scared we were?" She asked the pair, as one little boy wobbled by, swaddled in hand-me down robes that were two sizes too big. Ron did his usual shrug but Harry agreed with a smile.

"We were so scared, not knowing where we were going to be placed, or in my case, just learning about the wizarding world in general," he replied. The trio sat for a moment before Harry continued, "It does seem weird that this is our last year together. After this, who knows where we'll end up or where we'll go. If we will even see each other ever again! It's going to be a tough year, too, with NEWTS and all."

"Agreed," stated Hermione sadly, "But at least we don't have to constantly worry about being attacked by Voldemort." His name garnished few looks from others; they were used to his name by now, but an uneasy quietness fell over the group. With the table quiet, she thought about what Harry had just said, hoping he was incorrect. _If we will even see each other ever again? _She didn't really want to think about it. She vowed to herself that even with everything going on in her mind, she would not stray too far from the group this year. _Don't want to be the one who ends up all alone – no friends, family, or someone to love me._

It went unsaid that the past six years were not any normal six years. The average first year does not battle a ogre, a three-headed dog, nor one of the most powerful and dark wizards and live to tell about it. But they had, they had done it all and much more. It saddened Hermione to think of how close the trio had grown, but that they would soon be parting ways. She looked around, noticing Ron's eyes on her, which darted away when hers neared and a rosy glow flushed his face. She smiled inside, _He is so beautiful. I wish I could get him to love me the way I love him_. At the same time, she knew deep down that she could never be totally open and honest with him, fearing that he will see her as damaged and leave her.

Ron noticed Hermione's glance and blushed. _She's so amazing and beautiful and what would I give to just hold her in my arms. Just me and my 'mione. I guess I'll never know that feeling because she doesn't like me that way. To her, we're just friends and we'll always stay just friends._

Harry noticed his two friends glancing at each other and groaned, _When are they ever going to realize how much they want each other. Ginny and I know it, why can't they figure it out? Oh well, maybe this year will be different? _Their part of the table had grown too quiet, so he asked Hermione how her summer break went. For a split second, an emotion flashed across her eyes, foreign on her face but so familiar to him: fear. Hermione's face quickly became a mask; a plastered grin that Harry knew all too well was not how she was truly feeling. She politely gave them a few basic details about staying with her dad after her mom left, but, while she had a smile on her face, her voice was laced in sadness. Harry knew he should talk to her privately, try to help her in any way he could, but he didn't want to make her feel rushed or cornered. _This isn't the time to talk, but I'll be sure to talk to her soon._

The trio looked around at the different tables. All had basically the same amount of people they started with, except Slytherin. They had lost a significant amount of people in the final battle and it could be seen that others had dropped out from embarrassment or injury. Harry wondered what would happen to the current Slytherins, now that the Dark Arts were very taboo and many, even Slytherin alumni, were professing their faith in the good magic. He didn't have to wonder too long though, because Professor Dumbledore stood up.

"Ahem," he said, taping his glass with a fork. The entire hall got very quiet, save for a few quiet giggles from the Hufflepuff table. He slowly continued, "Welcome boys and girls to another exciting year at Hogwarts. We will begin sorting shortly, but I wanted to get a few things out of the way first. First, as usual, the forbidden forest is just that, forbidden. This is, as I say every year, _for your own good_. Secondly, I wanted to congratulate Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger on their acceptance as Head Boy and Girl." He paused for a moment as everyone began to clap. "Third, I wanted to point out that none of the staff have changed this current year; Lupin is still the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," Snape loudly groaned as Dumbledore continued, "and Hagrid will be teaching Care of Magical Creatures again this year. Might I point out that this class does come with a certain risk, and students, I only advise taking it if you're willing to face these risks." Hermione, Harry and Ron all laughed while Draco huffed quietly in his corner of the Slytherin table. "Lastly, as many can see, the Slytherin house has been hurt greatly by the final battle. We cannot get rid of this house just because of lack of interest; Slytherin has been here from the beginning and will continue to be here. The only difference is that there is now going to be an added emphasis in teamwork and good magic," a few of the current Slytherins groaned and Dumbledore ignored them, "and hopefully it'll bring Hogwarts closer together. This is my main reasoning in choosing Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy as the Heads of the school; I believe they will help depolarize the school and bring us together. Let the sorting begin!"

Everyone began to cheer while the hat sang its song and sorted all the first years up. Most of the students were evenly split up among the three "good" houses, with only 7 new first years going to Slytherin. Hermione felt bad that the houses weren't equally staffed with students, and she sighed. _Oh well_, she thought, _at least we have thirty new first years to continue our legacy._

Soon, the feast began and everyone was digging into their plates. Hermione glanced down at hers. It was almost empty, although she hadn't begun to eat. The food taunted her, willing her to take a large bite of its delicious gooeyness. Hermione knew she had to get to the library at some point soon to look up nutrition – she hadn't been allowed to leave the house all summer so she had just made up her own diet, which meant basically cutting almost everything out except the essentials. She knew that had worked when there were no worried eyes on her, but she needed to research and plan her meals now, so she wouldn't alert her friends to her plans. Ron glanced up at her between shovels of food in his mouth.

"Aren't you hungry, 'mione?" He asked, before shoveling another spoon of food into his mouth. Hermione's stomach turned, both because it was empty and because the thought of eating all the rich food at the table made her feel quite nauseous.

"Not particularly. I ate a lot on the train," she lied. "I think I'm going to go to the library to do a bit of research before I have to patrol tonight. See you guys later!" With that, she was up before anyone could protest, and they all went back to their delicious meals. Very few people noticed her leave, apart from one blonde Slytherin whose silver eyes bore into the back of her head before he too stood and followed her out of the Great Hall.

"Where do you think you're going, Ms. Granger?" A nosy ferret demanded. He knew he was just curious because he wanted to know _everything_ that went on in the school. But, he struggled to accept that he wanted to know everything about _this_ particular student.

"None of your business!" Spat Hermione, quickening her pace towards the library, trying to shake the annoyingly present Malfoy.

"No one is allowed to leave the feast without permission. Do I have to get Dumbledore? Might I point out that being Head Boy means I can give you detention for this?" He laughed, rubbing his power in her face.

"Don't forget, Malfoy, that we're both Heads and with that either of us could give enormous amounts of detention to the other to no avail. Just please, leave me alone. I need to be alone; I'll meet you out here in an hour to talk to Dumbledore." She began to walk quickly backwards before turning and running away, nearly stumbling over her feet in the process.

_Where does that girl think she's going to? She didn't have my permission to leave yet. Oh she looks so beautiful, and yet so sad. Why didn't she want to eat? Something must be wrong, and I'm going to find out what it is_, he promised himself, before reentering the Great Hall.

An hour later, Hermione washed her face off in the bathroom and walked back to the Great Hall. She never made it to the library; she collapsed, crying, in the bathroom on the way up there. Sighing, she pushed the doors open and walked up to the front table.

"You wanted to see us, Professor Dumbledore?" She asked, glancing around for Malfoy. He appeared at her side momentarily.

"We need to go over the duties and responsibilities of Head Boy and Girl. First, you need to go to your room, decide a password and set your stuff up. Second, each night, you must patrol the halls, together, from 10 pm till 1 am. Any students caught up and about will be given a mandatory detention with Snape or Filch and will lose 5 points from their house points, no exceptions. Third, you two may go to Hogsmeade whenever needed, as long as no other students find out, and will plan the Hogsmeade trips for the rest of the students. Finally, you two need to agree to get along, for my sake. I can't go running around the place, curing spells and giving detention to you two while also running the school. For my sake, make a truce," Dumbledore demanded, running his hand across his wearied face.

_There's no way that ferret will ever agree to a truce_, thought Hermione, although she confessed to herself that it wouldn't be that bad to be on speaking terms with Malfoy.

"Truce," said Malfoy quickly, shocking both the Professor and Hermione. He knew they expected him to protest, but he figured this would be a great way to be on speaking terms with Granger, so he could get to the bottom of her secret. Ever since the war ended, he was sick of being seen as the callous Death Eater in training, and wanted to use this opportunity to be seen as just another bright student, preparing to enter the magical world.

"Truce, I guess," stated Hermione, still in a bit of shock. She felt that Malfoy was up to one of his dirty tricks, so she refused to believe that he would really stick to the truce, but at least she had less to worry about.

"Okay, you two may leave now." Dumbledore said with a smile, ushering them towards the doors of the Great Hall.

Ten minutes later, with the help of Dobby, they found their room and agreed on a password. "_Broken Enemies_," said Hermione as the portrait swung open. Hermione took a deep breath in and stepped into the amazingly beautiful room. Never had she seen anything as marvelous, not even in the most magical places. Draco just ran his hand through his hair_. His beautiful hair,_ Hermione thought, before pinching herself and demanding that she snap out of it.

Both went into their separate rooms and admired the decorations – Hermione's adorned in gold and red, while Malfoy's was a dark green and silver. Hermione had to admit the colors did look very good together. The main room had both houses' banners hung on the walls, along with seven bookshelves, overflowing with books, and two doors. One led to a personal kitchen the two would share, and the other to their joint bathroom, filled with a lavish bath, big enough to swim in, and two stalls. Hermione just smiled while Draco carefully caressed the marble walls.

"Never seen anything this nice?" She teased, breaking his concentration.

"Get real," he lashed back, "my house is twice as nice as this. I just never expected Hogwarts to contain anything this grand. This is pretty nice," he repeated, running his hand along the brick around the window.

"Well, I hate to break up your window admiration, but we need to start patrolling before Dumbledore finds out we aren't doing our duties," stated Hermione, heading towards the portrait.

"Agreed," Draco said, and followed Hermione out of the portrait and down the hall, noting how her hips swayed casually while she walked. _She is going to be the death of me_.

Walking down the hall, they heard noise coming from the Gryffindor common room. Hermione asked the Fat Lady to open up and she went inside. "Hey you guys, come on. Quite down – we can hear you all the way out in the hall!"

"Hermione, relax and live a little. Classes don't start until tomorrow, we were just enjoying the evening," stated Harry, who's hair was ruffled and shirt missing as he stood panting in front of her.

"Well, can you do it a bit more quietly?" Hermione asked, noting that Ginny was very lucky to have snagged him this year. If he wasn't her best friend, she might have been interested, but there was too much baggage. And besides, they looked happy together – they deserved each other.

"We can try," replied Harry, laughing, before he chased after Ginny who had just stolen his wand. He cried, "Come back here with that," and chased her up the stairs, before they turned into a slide and forced Harry to the bottom, leaving Hermione, Ron and Ginny rolling on the ground in fits of laughter. "Forgot about that," was all that Harry could manage to say before rubbing his hair and joining the other three in laughter. Suddenly Draco made his presence known.

"I thought you guys were told to shut up before I begin to take house points?" Draco demanded, glancing around the room with his threatening glare.

"It's … okay…" gasped Hermione through bouts of laughter. Her face was rouged from the laughing and lack of oxygen but she looked like she had expertly applied a blusher to her cheeks.

"What's so funny?" Malfoy demanded, flustered because he wasn't in on the joke.

"Harry… forgot that… the stairs… don't let … boys up," she managed to get out before cracking up again.

"Nice one, _Harry_," Draco spat. _I told myself that I will get along with Granger this year, but that does not mean I need to become buddies with her group._

"Come on Hermione, we have _actual_ things to do," he said before stomping out.

Hermione shrugged, said good bye to everyone and started to follow Draco out the portrait. Before she got there, Ron grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Hermione?" He asked, looking deep into her eyes before blushing again.

"Yes, Ron?" She asked, noticing his blushing, and blushed herself.

"Just because you're Head Girl now doesn't mean we won't see you anymore, right? You'll still sit with us and hang out with us and help with our homework, right?" He asked, pleading with her, silently, to understand the context behind the words. That he wanted to spend time with her because he liked her, wanted to be with her.

Groaning, Hermione responded, "So this is all about me helping you guys with your homework?" She laughed, "You're going to have to figure it out on your own someday, Ron. I won't always be there for you guys to fall back on."

"I know, I know. It's not just that. I … I… don't want to lose our friendship. And I … I … want to see the same of you that um… I umm… saw last year. I mean, just please make sure you're over here a lot, or I will miss you." Ron blushed again, deeper than the last few times.

"Of course, Ron, of course. I won't forget you two just because I'm Head Girl now," she replied. "Plus, it'll give me something to look forward to when I have to do nightly rounds with _him_. I'll be around often, because I don't want to be stuck in the Head's chambers with just Malfoy every day."

"Promise?" Asked Ron, taking her hand and felling a bolt of electricity rush down into his stomach.

"I promise," she replied, smiling and feeling the same rush in her own stomach.

"You two lovebirds make me sick," said Draco, ruining the moment and pulling Hermione with him out of the portrait. Ron just stood there and shook his head. Maybe he would tell her tomorrow, he reasoned with himself.

**Review!**


	4. Eternal Nightmare

**Disclaimer: **I own absolutely nothing… except myself, but nothing else

**A/N: ** Thank you to all my awesome reviewers; I cannot explain how you made my day. Keep it up and I'll keep pumping these chapters out quickly, although I promise to try and make them quicker than this one (and hopefully better).

**Previously:** "I know, I know. It's not just that. I … I… don't want to lose our awesome friendship. And I … I … want to see the same of you that um… I umm… saw last year. I mean, just please make sure you're over here a lot, or I will miss you." Ron blushed again, deeper than the last few times.

"Of course Ron, of course. I won't forget you two just because I'm Head Girl now," she replied.

"Promise?" Asked Ron, taking her hand and felling a rush down into his stomach.

"I promise," she replied, smiling and feeling the same rush in her own stomach.

"You two lovebirds make me sick," said Draco, ruining the moment and pulling Hermoine with him out of the portrait. Ron just stood there and shook his head. Maybe he would tell her tomorrow.

Hermoine sighed as she slid out of the portrait hole, following Draco to finish the rest of their Head duties. By the end of the night, the two had given out three detentions – one to a third year Ravenclaw, and two to a first year couple from Hufflepuff that they found hidden in the astronomy tower, snogging the night away. Draco gave a sly grin, indicating that he too had visited the astronomy tower his first year at Hogwarts. The Hufflepuffs blushed as they apologized and ran back to their house portrait to go to bed.

"Nice," said Draco, running his hand through his messy, yet styled hair, "next thing we'll know, we'll be scouting Ravenclaws through the Forbidden Forest and Gryffindors off of the third floor."

"Excuse me?" Demanded Hermoine, a bit playfully, yet still a little taken aback, "What about Slytherin? How do we know that _they _won't be the ones we find in forbidden areas. They do have a tendency for making trouble and sticking their noses where they don't belong." Hermoine playfully pushed Draco, who didn't know whether to take it as a joke or seriously.

"Look whose talking about being a busybody. And if I remember right, you have the tenacity to find a bit of trouble on your own." He decided that he wasn't up for playing games with the girl that evening. He glared at her before turning around and heading towards their common area. Hermoine just stood their in a bit of shock. 'What just happened?' she asked herself, not knowing when their truce had gone null and void. 'Oh well,' she thought and followed the ferret, _albeit good looking ferret_, down the hall.

Due to it being the first night at Hogwarts, both students tucked themselves immediately into bed, happy that they didn't have any homework to finish. Hermoine pulled the sheets tightly around her and prayed that sleep would soon come. She hadn't had much sleep all summer and hoped that being away from him would make it easier to sleep. Happy her charms hadn't fallen, she rolled around, tucked into a ball and fell into a fitful sleep.

Draco laid on his bed, thinking about the upcoming year, secretly a little sad that it was his last at this castle that had become a second home. He thought about writing his mother; without him she got so upset. She hated living in their mansion all alone, since his father was in Azkaban, and she would always tell him how lonely she felt. Once she even told him that she almost wished that she too had been sent to Azkaban, just to escape the rude stares and whispers of her former friends.

Ever since Voldemort's destruction, things had been different. Draco, nor his mother, had ever been a true follower, but with a father like his, it was either worship him or be thrust out of the Malfoy chain. Being as young as he was, he just did as he was told, and Narcissa, she was too in love with a dominant Lucius to just walk away.

Guilt and pain ate Draco up as he lie in bed, so he got up and began to write her a nice letter:

_Dear Mother,_

_How I miss you so much right now. I hope that everything's okay back at the manor. Now that I'm in seventh year, and Head Boy, if you ever need me, just send me an owl and I'll floo to your side as soon as possible. Please take care of yourself and know that I'm sending all my love._

_Love,_

_ Draco_

He sighed and went back into bed, mind rushing with various facets of his current life. Eventually, his mind wandered to the sleeping girl in the next room. 'Something's very different about her this year, in her eyes. They hold so much: fear, sadness, longing for something, or someone. They're so full, it looks like they might soon burst with heavy tears. Why would such a smart and beautiful girl be so sad and afraid?'

He didn't have long to ponder his thoughts, being roused by a scream from the next room. Tearing at his sheets, he flew to the door that connected theirs and tried to open it. 'Stupid girl,' he thought, when he found himself faced with a locked door. Pulling out his wand, he commanded _Alohomora, _and the door swung open, greeting the boy to a young girl, tossing and turning, tearing at the sheets and screaming in fear of someone she thought was in the room.

"Stop!" she screamed out, pleading for her intruder to leave her. She cried out again and pulled away, as if burned from a hot object. Her dreams racing, she relieved the nightmare, him pushing her back onto the bed and slapping her across the face. She involuntarily reached up towards her face and sobbed silently. "No!" she cried again, as if crying would stop what was about to happen. Feeling him rip her shirt and push up against her made hot tears pour down her face. She shook violently and screamed out.

It took Draco a second to realize that she was asleep and not actually afraid of someone in her room. Rushing to her side, he gently held her down to stop her from kicking him, which only made her scream more. He shook her arm and called her name and she quieted down, waking from her eternal nightmare.

Embarrassed, she jumped up and ran to the bathroom, crying. Throwing herself into a stall, she banged her hands and screamed at how stupid she was; thinking that just because she wasn't _there_ anymore meant the nightmares wouldn't follow was stupid. She lie down on the floor of the bathroom, rocking, shaking, and crying lightly. Draco walked in slowly and tried to comfort her, albeit a bit out of character.

"Just go away," she stated, just above a whisper. He ignored her request and walked near her, reaching his hand out to console her, "and don't ever bring this up again."

Draco decided to use this moment against her, to find out what was going on, "Only if you tell me why you were screaming. Otherwise, the whole school will know by morning that their Head Girl is a big baby."

Sobbing lightly, she turned her face towards him. The moonlight from the window caught a tear and it hit Draco that she was honestly pleading for him to keep quiet. "Please," she whispered silently, turning her head back towards the wall and wrapping her arms around herself before pulling her legs into a tucked position and lying her head against the stall door. Draco walked towards her again and although she slightly twitched as he lay his hand on her shoulder, she let herself melt into his grip.

"Hermoine…"

**A/N: Welp, a bit of a cliffie, I think, but sometimes suspense is a good thing :D Keep reviewing a lot and I'll get the next chapter out by Saturday night (two days) – promise ;)**


	5. Library Interrogation

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except the story line; no characters, no charms or potions, just me; that's about it!

**A/N:** Sorry this is a few days later than I said it'd be, I just found out that my friend, who is also suffering from an eating disorder like myself, has gotten really sick and has now dropped down to less than 80 pounds. I'm really scared for her, and I've been trying to help her a lot this weekend, but I promise that the next one will be out by late this week (I already have it written) I promise. I plan on making these next few chapters a bit faster, more in-depth. It took four chapters to get through the first night… I hope the next two will go quite a bit faster. Let me know if you think the pace is too fast or too slow still. In fact, any ideas or questions, just let me know in a review, I promise to answer them in the next chapter! Thanks to all my reviewers so far, they make me write a LOT faster :D Also, WARNING… this chapter will have heavy eating disorder/depression themes with possible implied rape (as seen in last chapter), so if this offends you, I'm sorry, I really am. If you want it out, let me know. I would feel bad if I offended anyone.

**Previously:** Sobbing lightly, she turned her face towards him. The moonlight from the window caught a tear and it hit Draco that she was honestly pleading for him to keep quiet. "Please," she whispered silently, turning her head back towards the wall and wrapping her arms around herself before pulling her legs into a tucked position and lying her head against the stall door. Draco walked towards her again and although she slightly twitched as he lay his hand on her shoulder, she let herself melt into his grip.

"Hermoine…" Draco whispered, as Hermione's charms began to fall. Her beautiful face became riddled with bruises and cuts, her arms and legs thinned and paled, them too covered in bruises. Brown, full eyes met silver ones and both filled with tears, either unable to say anything. She ducked her head as he gently cupped her chin in his hand and raised her eyes to meet his.

"Please, don't ask and don't say anything," she quietly begged. "Please Draco." With that, she slowly turned around and he watched her walk quickly back to her bedroom and heard the click of her lock. Draco sighed, unknowing of what to do next. He watched the door, hoping she would walk back through and tell him everything that was wrong. But, she didn't, and after ten minuets of door-watching, he, too, turned around and went back into his room.

First week of classes passed rather quickly and the seventh years found themselves shocked at the difficulty the current year brought. Harry and Ron were pondering at breakfast the next week, among other things.

"Harry, have you seen much of 'mione lately?" Ron asked quizzically.

"Nah, mate. You?" Harry asked, wondering when the last time was that they _had_ actually saw the brown-eyed girl.

"Nope. It isn't like 'mione to skip out on meals. Or on homework time," Ron added, a bit worried. It _wasn't_ like Hermione to just start skipping out on everything and ignoring everyone. She had even gotten quieter in classes, unknowingly sparking her teachers' attention.

"Ah don't worry about it mate, she's a smart girl. I bet she's just putting in extra study time, since she has to spend three hours a night with that slimy git patrolling the halls. She has a kitchen in their room, don't forget," Harry added, brushing off Ron's concern for the other friend.

"Yea, I guess you're right…" Ron faded off, still thinking about the girl. 'I wonder if she'd like some company in the library,' he wondered to himself. At least that way he could get to spend some time with her. He missed her so much, everything about her; her laugh, her smile, the way she constantly prodded him to get his work finished. Without her around, he was forced to rely on himself and Harry to remember due dates and fancy spells and charms that she otherwise would have known. But it wasn't just the homework help he missed. He missed how she could brighten his day with just a couple of words, and how she could make both him and Harry excited about life, and at times, learning. He began to realize that he truly cared about the girl and both missed and worried about her lack of presence around the Great Hall.

Ron got up quickly, mind made up, and walked towards the doors of the Great Hall. "Where are you going, mate?" Harry asked the fellow Gryffindor.

"I'm going to see Hermione," he responded. Harry just smiled and shook his head. Harry laughed and told himself that Ron might not be as hopeless as formerly thought.

Ron started to walk down the hall towards the library when he heard a crash from that direction. He began to jog and than picked it up and started sprinting towards the doors of the library. Throwing them open, he was met by a glare from the librarian. "SHHH!" She said in a loud whisper, finger to lips, still glaring.

"Sorry," Ron whispered. "I just came running when I heard a crash; I was worried." He started to walk back towards where he thought the crash came from, back where Hermione used to sit, diligently filling out essays and tearing through books.

"Son, no one's back there except a few house elves. I suppose you are here for them? Don't bother, they're too busy working to notice anyone and they'd rather not associate with you anyways," the librarian added, obviously still on edge from the crash and the door slam.

Ron went back there anyways and like the librarian said, there was no one back there except a few house elves. Ron was about to turn around and walk out, but was met with a crash from Dobby.

"Dobby, what's going on? Who did this?" Ron asked Dobby, worried that he might already know the answer. Dobby just shook his head. "Please tell me Dobby," Ron pleaded.

"Dobby can't tell Mister Ron. Miss Hermione wouldn't want anyone to know," Dobby said. "Oh no!" He squealed, slamming his head into the bookcase. "I… already …said …too …much!" He slammed his head one more time before Ron was finally able to hold him down.

"Shhh!" Exclaimed the librarian, making her way towards the pair.

"I have to get of here Dobby, but please, tell me why Hermione was here." Ron pleaded again.

"All Dobby knows is Misses was here, doing research, them she didn't feel well and knocked a bunch of books over before running out," Dobby explained, looking around, looking for something to hurt himself with, but Ron's strength easily overtook the house elf's. Ron looked down at some of the books she was looking at. _Muggle Nutrition for the Magical Folk, Muggle Exercise for the Magical Unfit, What to Do When You Don't Play Quidditch But Still Want To Be Healthy, Diet Fads and Magical Ignorance, _and _Calorie Counting for the Ignorant,_ were just a few of the titles on the table.

Ron stood in silence, 'Why would Hermione need books on nutrition and exercise. Especially since she's part of the muggle world, wouldn't she know about the basics anyway?' Ron began to get worried about his best friend. Things weren't right and he wanted to get some answers.

"Dobby," Ron asked. "Where did she go? Did she go to the Great Hall, or to the kitchens attached to her common room?"

Dobby stood there for a second. He apparated from Ron's grip and reappeared next to him, running his head into a bookcase, knocking off another stack of books. Ron reached out and grabbed the elf again, the librarian about 10 feet. Dobby shook his head and looked sadly at the redhead. "Misses never goes into the kitchens, mister Ron. Never. She never eats in there, always sits in here!" With that, all of the house elves apparated, leaving Ron alone with a mess of books, an angry librarian and a lot of explaining to do. Ron took the hint and tore off in the opposite direction, calling out, "Sorry!" to the now very angry librarian. He barely slipped out the doors as she caught up with him and he took off running down the hallway.

Ron walked around for awhile, wondering about Hermione. With all the new information he was frightened she might be in over her head. After about five minuets of pacing around, a door appeared. Puzzled, Ron pushed the door open only to be met with a room full of exercise equipment, something he had read about in books but only seen once, at his dad's office. It had been a bike that was transfigured from a few spare wheels but kept the rider on for 3 hours; a bad joke that caused many injuries, and thus had been confiscated by the Ministry of Magic.

In this room there were over ten machines, each devoted to a different exercise. Realizing that he was in the Room of Requirement, he wondered why there was all this extra stuff in there. All he wanted was to find Hermione. His question was answered quickly, when out of nowhere, another door opened and out walked a _very_ thin figure. Not realizing it was Hermione, he questioned to the figure, still on the opposite side of the room, "Have you seen Hermione? Do you know her?" The figure jumped, only now realizing she wasn't along, and screamed.

"Ron! What are you doing in here? GET OUT AND LEAVE ME ALONE!" She screamed before running back into the adjoining room and slamming the door. Ron walked near and tried to speak with her through the door, still in a bit of disbelief.

"'Mione, come out please?" He begged. "I'm worried about you. Please come out here?" His requests were met with emptiness. "Fine!" He screamed. "If you want to screw around and just ignore the people who care about you then fine, you get what you want! I'm gone." With that, he stormed out of the room, slamming the door. Collapsing on the other side, he hit himself. 'What did I just do?' He asked himself, realization hitting him. Everyone thought he was a little thick, and although he agreed he wasn't too smart in some areas, he knew what was going on. She wasn't eating and she worked out a lot. She stopped paying attention in class and looked like a skeleton in there, although normally she looked healthy, which only meant that she wore charms in front of others. There was only one explanation of what was going on. "Malfoy," Ron spoke, voice heavy with venomous hate.

Hermione had listened to all of Ron's words from the other side of the door but did not respond. 'He'd never understand' she told herself, sobbing lightly. He would never understand the pain and hate it took to even get out of bed in the morning. Never would he understand how much she hated who she was and how much she just wanted it to be over. She stood, woozily, and walked towards the sink in the room. Looking into the mirror, she sighed and pulled out her wand, saying a quick incantation and watching the charm fill in the spaces between her hollow bones and indented cheeks, covering the bruises and scars at the same time.

Slowly, she walked out into the other room and untransfigured all the equipment in the room. Not even the Room of Requirement was able to make muggle equipment, which is why she researched how to transfigure them herself. Unfortunately, she had blacked out right as she stood to leave, knocking over a stack of books, so she ran from the library right before Ron walked in, obviously looking for the brunette. Waiting a few more minutes before daring to walk out of the room, she sat on the floor and dozed off a bit.

**A/N**: I already have the next chapter finished, but I'm waiting for a bunch of reviews before I post it. Otherwise I'll believe that this chapter stinks, though I hope it doesn't. If you have any questions, or ideas/comments, feel free to leave them in a review. I'll respond to them here. Thank you to all my reviewers so far, but I'm kind of sad that I've only gotten 15 reviews seeing as that I'm already up to the fifth chapter and I have over 700 views. Make my day and hit the review button below. Please: ( Thank you:D


	6. Classroom Nightmares

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except the story line; no characters, no charms or potions, just me; that's about it!

**A/N: **Although I didn't get a ton of reviews, I thought I'd release this chapter before tonite when BOOK SIX COMES OUT! Keep the reviews coming and the chapters will be pumped out faster. Reviews make me write faster, you'd be surprised. :D I do want to add that my friend's not doing any better and it's only making me worse, so if for some reason I'm not on here for a week or so, I'm sorry, I just have a lot around here outside of the internet to deal with. Plus, I'll be reading the new book! Again, WARNING… this has in-depth mention of eating disorders, so for those suffering, it might trigger, and it may upset others. Please read with your own digression. And review :D

**Previously:** Slowly, she walked out into the other room and un-transfigured all the equipment in the room. Not even the Room of Requirement was able to make muggle equipment, which is why she researched how to transfigure them herself. Unfortunately, she had blacked out right as she stood to leave, knocking over a stack of books, so she ran from the library right before Ron walked in, obviously looking for the brunette. Waiting a few more minutes before daring to walk out of the room, she sat on the floor and dozed off a bit.

Nightmares once again overtook her sleep. She tossed and turned for a few minuets before, like every other night, she woke up screaming. Sweat pouring from her face, she shook her head, trying to shake away the dreams. Soon, her surroundings began to make sense and she walked from the room, grabbing her bag of books, and hurrying to her next class, Potions. She sighed and tried to walk faster, which seemed nearly impossible for the small Gryffindor. Her legs tried to give out on her twice, head waning from the present to an alternate reality, and she stopped outside the room to catch her breath before walking in.

Opening the doors slowly, she was met with the gaze of both Gryffindors and Slytherins alike. Snape quickly walked to the back of the room, cape billowing behind him, and grabbed the girl's arm harshly. Both winced at the same time – she from the pain and him from the realization how skinny she really was. Walking her towards the front of the room, he let his grip rest, and he thrust her, albeit gently, into the seat nearest the front of the room. "Might I ask where you've been?" He asked, his tone just daring her to argue with him, but gentle at the same time. He found himself slightly worrying about the girl's present state. Even with the charms, she was very underweight and her eyes were lined with puffy, black bags. That, along with her tardiness, made him a bit more concerned than usual.

"I'm really sorry Professor," she began, "I was…"

"Save the effort," Snape began. "You can explain all you want tonight when you join me in detention," a few Slytherins laughed aloud, "or after class when you stay to make up everything you missed, when you decided to skip out on the beginning of my class."

"But Sir," she began slowly, trying to avoid his poisonous glare, "I have Head duties."

Snape looked around for a second. "Oh, I'm sorry my girl. You've mistaken me for someone who actually cares. Mister Draco is more than able to do his Head duties alone, and you can join him after your detention. And now to continue on with the lesson you so rudely interrupted." Although he was becoming more worried about her by the moment, he had to keep up pretenses or people would think he was, shudder, becoming weak. Snape went on to teach the rest of class but Hermione couldn't pay attention. First she worried about what people would say about the Head Girl getting detention, but then she slowly began to drift into a daydream, which gave way to a nightmare.

Meanwhile, two more people were apprehensively worried about the girl. One being the redhead who seemed to have given up on her, at least to her face. The other was watching her carefully, like he did every night in the common room and during their patrolling. One wanted to tell himself that he couldn't waste his time caring for someone he barely knew, and the other tried to tell himself that she was his world, and yet, the one who didn't want to did and the other couldn't bring himself to truly care for someone who did such horrible things to themselves. Draco couldn't stop worrying about the girl and it angered him because he shouldn't care about someone he barely knew. Yet, he realized, he probably knew the new Hermione better than anyone else who called themselves her friend.

Both boys were pulled from thought when, all of a sudden, the dungeon was filled with a blood curdling scream from the front of the room and Snape demanded that everyone leave the room immediately as the brunette Gryffindor started thrashing and fell from the stool, worry increasing. "I said everyone get out. That means you _two_ also; just because you are the golden trio outside of class doesn't mean you get to stay. Shoo. Wait, Draco, since you're Head Boy. The rest of you, OUT!" With the sharp point of a finger, the rest of the class got out swiftly.

"It's okay Professor. She'll be fine in a few minutes. It's just a nightmare," Draco explained, trying to calm the girl and the professor at the same time.

"Is this a common thing? For her to scream about in a haphazard manner?" Snape demanded, prodding Draco for all that he knew. Both Slytherins knew something was not right about her current condition but neither were brave enough to say it.

"She's been doing it every night since we got to school. She thinks that by putting a silencing charm on her room that I can't hear, but I do. She'll be okay though, nightmares can't hurt you, at least not physically," Draco sighed and looked away. "I'll take her back to the room, if you don't mind Professor," Draco said, knowing that the girl would kill him when she awoke.

"No, stupid boy, she needs to be placed in the infirmary immediately. If she can't stay awake in my class than she isn't healthy. Even stupid Gryffindors know not to sleep in my class." Snape went down to pick her up but Draco stopped him.

"Please Professor. I promise, she's fine, she just needs a bit more sleep. I'll take her back to our chambers and put her to bed. I can handle Head Duties tonight alone. She just needs the night off. Please, I promise she's fine." He didn't know why he was trying so hard to protect her secret, but he knew, somewhere inside, that he should do this for her.

Snape caught on to his kindness too, and pointed it out. "Taking a liking for a stupid Gryffindor, are we?" He smiled slightly, knowing he had caught the boy.

"Of course not, Professor. I just know that if she's sent to the infirmary, I'll have more than one night that I have to patrol alone and I hate doing other's work for them. This way, after tonight, she's back to patrolling, like the Head Girl is supposed to do," he tried to convince Snape AND himself, but neither believed it.

After looking the girl over, making sure nothing was broken in the fall, and thus could be blamed on him, the professor let the boy carry the girl from the room. He made a mental note how easy it was for the boy to carry her. Snape knew Draco was strong, but he picked her up like she weighed nothing. She doesn't _look_ that small, but what if… Draco looked at his professor, thinking the same thing. He sighed and carried her from the room.

Laying her on the couch in the common room, he sighed again and called for Dobby. "Bring me a bowl of apple sauce, a glass of milk, and a head of cheese, please Dobby." Dobby, who had stayed across the room, was hiding behind a chair. He popped away, and then reappeared quickly, a tray of food in his arms. "Thank you, Dobby," Draco smiled slightly. 'Hermione would be proud of me,' he thought, laughing.

He looked back at the small girl, who was still sleeping, although nightmareless. "That's weird," he thought, but soon realized she wasn't sleeping, and instead had blacked out. He sighed again, and pulled out a piece of paper to write his mother while waiting for the girl to awake.

_Dear Mother,_

_I got your letter yesterday. I hope that everything's going okay. I want you to be happy. Please don't hurt yourself, it tears me up. I have enough to deal with here; please don't make me worry about you, too. I love you and miss you so much._

_With Love,_

_Your Son Draco_

Draco put down the pen, wrapped up the letter and attached it to his owl. He thought about how weird it was that purebloods and muggleborns could be suffering from the same symptoms; could even be possibly afflicted with the same things. He laid his head in his hands and once again waited for the girl to awake.

A/N: Thank you again for all the nice reviews. I promise to have the next chapter up within the next few days. Like this one, the next chapter is almost finished, so the faster I get reviews the faster it comes out :D I hope this chapter explains a little more? I know I said I'd make the chapters go faster, but I like the pace I'm at. I can explain more of what's going on, ya know? Again, I offer, if there are any ideas, questions or comments out there, leave it in the review, or you can email me, too, at Barbiegurl676 at aol dot com. Thank you!


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